UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The composition and powers of the US House are established in Article One of the US Constitution. The
House passes federal legislation that affects the entire country, although its bills must
also be passed by the Senate and further agreed to by the President before becoming law (unless both the
House and Senate re-pass the legislation with a two-thirds majority in each chamber to override the
President's veto).

Each State receives representation in the House in proportion to its population and is entitled to at
least one Representative. The total number of voting Representatives has been capped by law at 435 since
1911, and each Representative serves for two-year terms (there are no term limits for the United States
Congress, although the idea was popular with many Founding Fathers and has been with many others
since). The Speaker of the House, traditionally the leader of the majority party, is the presiding
officer of the chamber and is elected by the members of the House.

The Constitution grants the House several exclusive powers: the power to initiate revenue bills, to
impeach officials (the Senate sits as jury for actual trials of impeached officials), and to elect
the President in case of an Electoral College deadlock. The House meets in the south wing of the
US Capitol Building, with the Senate meeting in the north wing.